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World > Africa > Burkina Faso
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Burkina Faso |
Introduction:
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Burkina Faso (formerly Upper Volta) achieved independence from France in 1960. Repeated military coups during the 1970s and 1980s were followed by multiparty elections in the early 1990s. Current President Blaise COMPAORE came to power in a 1987 military coup and has won every election since then. Burkina Faso's high population density and limited natural resources result in poor economic prospects for the majority of its citizens. Recent unrest in Cote d'Ivoire and northern Ghana has hindered the ability of several hundred thousand seasonal Burkinabe farm workers to find employment in neighboring countries.
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| Official name: |
Burkina Faso |
| Capital: |
name: Ouagadougou
geographic coordinates: 12 22 N, 1 31 W
time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
| Government type: |
parliamentary republic |
| Population: |
14,326,203
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2007 est.) |
| Languages: |
French (official), native African languages belonging to Sudanic family spoken by 90% of the population |
| Official Currency: |
CFA Franc BCEAO (XOF)
Current CFA Franc BCEAO Exchange Rates
Historical CFA Franc BCEAO Exchange Rates
Chart CFA Franc BCEAO Exchange Rates |
| Currency code: |
XOF |
| Area: |
total: 274,200 sq km
land: 273,800 sq km
water: 400 sq km |
| Climate: |
tropical; warm, dry winters; hot, wet summers |
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Map of Burkina Faso
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